immunoassays
Immunohistochemistry is a different matrix
Why an antibody that works in an ELISA can fail on fixed tissue, and which controls make an immunohistochemistry result a research observation.
8 October 2026 · 8 min read
Topic cluster
Immunoassays
ELISA, immunoblotting and antibody selection, with controls that separate a real signal from a sticky reagent.
All topicsBuffers and laboratory water26Cell culture26Chromatography26Cold chain and sample storage26Cytometry and microscopy26DNA sequencing26Gels and blotting26Gene expression26Genome editing26Immunoassays26Laboratory labware26Laboratory safety26Liquid handling26Microbiology26Molecular cloning26Nucleic acid purification26PCR and amplification26Protein biochemistry26Proteomics26Research sourcing and study design26
specificationenquiryglossarytroubleshootingcalibrationelisafluorescencevalidationwestern blotantibodiesantibodyevidencereportingabsorbanceimmunoassayspecificitystoragetissue
26 articles
immunoassays
Isotype controls are not a full answer
What an isotype control actually measures, which sticky artefacts it can rule out, and why it cannot replace a knockout or a secondary-only well.
8 October 2026 · 8 min read
immunoassays
Lot changes and why a control sample matters
How a frozen control sample shows that an antibody or kit lot has shifted, and what to ask when you bridge an old lot to a new one.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
immunoassays
Plate readers absorbance and fluorescence
Absorbance, fluorescence and luminescence are different reads. A wrong wavelength or a clear plate in a fluorescence assay looks like a failed ELISA.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
immunoassays
Questions before an antibody enquiry
Target, species, application, immunogen, host, conjugate and storage on arrival. Each question stops a different wrong reagent from being quoted.
8 October 2026 · 10 min read
immunoassays
Recombinant versus polyclonal reagents
Polyclonal, hybridoma monoclonal and recombinant antibodies differ in epitope count and lot definition. Choose the class in the specification, not by slogan.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
immunoassays
Reporting an immunoassay so another lab can audit it
An auditable immunoassay file holds lots, the unit, the curve model, raw blanks and excluded wells. A bar on a slide does not replace them.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
immunoassays
Sandwich direct and competitive ELISA
How to choose a direct, indirect, sandwich or competitive ELISA from analyte size, available epitopes and whether signal should rise or fall.
8 October 2026 · 10 min read
immunoassays
Sodium azide and downstream live-cell work
Sodium azide preserves many antibody stocks, inhibits peroxidase, and poisons cells. Check the vial before an HRP plate or a live culture.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
immunoassays
Standard curves that bend
Why immunoassay standard curves are sigmoid, where the usable window sits, and what an early bend or a forced straight line does to a reported value.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
immunoassays
Storage of antibodies after the first thaw
Aliquot before the first thaw, freeze once, and thaw a working tube on ice. The vial sheet sets the temperature. A warm shipment stays quarantined.
8 October 2026 · 11 min read
immunoassays
Troubleshooting a high background
High background means the blank is loud. Separate a dirty blank from a plate that is loud in every well before you subtract and move on.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read